Venetian blind



Aug. 21, 1951 Filed Feb. 15, 1946 H. l -RANK 2,565,217

VENET'IAN BLIND INVENTOR Henry Frank.

ATTORNEYS.

Aug. 21, 1951 H. FRA NK VENETIAN BLIND 'Filed Feb. 15, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR fizu'yfz'ank. BY [j ATTORNEYS.

Patented Aug. 21, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Claims.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in window blinds and especially is concerned with blinds of the type known as Venetian blinds.

An object of the invention is to provide a blind in which any one or more of several sections of it may be tilted independently of the others.

Another object of the invention is to provide means whereby while permitting independent adjustment of the various sections of the blind, they can be raised and lowered together as a unit in the conventional manner.

A further object is to provide means whereby the sections in their up and down movement are guided in a predetermined manner so that the top slats of each section areheld in definite straight line movement.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide means whereby the upper sections of the blind can be as easily independently adjusted and tilted as the lower sections by an operator standing before the same.

Still another object of the invention is to provide means whereby in pulling the sections up, the parts in their upward and downward movements have no tendency to become jammed or stuck.

A still further object of the invention resides in a multiple Venetian blind which eliminates the use of tapes for tiltably supporting the slats, and wherein the threading of the pull cords through the slats is eliminated, thus dispensing with the unsightly appearance of such parts.

Further and more specific objects, features, and advantages will more clearly appear from a consideration of the specification hereinafter set forth especially when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings which illustrate a present preferred form which the invention may assume and which form part of the specification.

Briefly and generally considered the invention comprises a Venetian blind device in which the slats are not operated all together but are operated in sections or groups. Each section or group has a top slat connected to tilting means and the other slats of the section or group are suspended from the top one preferably by chains extending from the corners of the slats. The top slat of each section or group constitutes a tilt bar associated with means slidable along a guide member to definitely predetermine its free movement up and down. Pull cords or flexible connections are dependent from the tilt bars of the upper groups and hang down so as to enable a person standing on a floor to easily reach and operate them.

The lower groups are provided with other means ilk which may be projecting pins on the tilt bars which can be manipulated to tilt the slats of those groups.

The slats are related to guide members at the sides thereof which are in the form either of brackets supporting wires extending from top to bottom thereof and along which the tilt bars slide or in the form of channel members having runways with which plates connected to the tilt bars are engaged to permit the sliding movement. 1

By reason of this general novel construction a person using these blinds can go to them and arrange the various groups of slats at will as desired so that air and light can be differently regulated for each section or group of slats to control the admission of air and light in a more varied manner.

The present preferred form which the inven' tion may assume is illustrated in the drawings, in which,

Figure 1 is a front elevational view of the blind fully extended the length of a window frame, certain groups of slats being open and others closed.

Figure 2 is a partial vertical sectional view taken through the supporting frame and guide frames of the blind with the slats in elevation.

Figure 3 is a horizontal sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a partial elevation of the form of means to tilt lower groups of slats.

Figure 5 is a detail end View partly in section of a. modified form of connection between the lower slat of a group and the next adjacent tilt bar.

Figure 6 is a vertical sectional view of a modified form of means for guiding the tilt bar of each group of slats.

The specific construction of the preferred form shown in the drawings is adapted to be disposed in connection with a window frame A and a series of groups B, C, D, E, F, and G, of slats III are shown in Figure 1 arranged independently in various angular positions. At the top of the window frame A and within its opening is disposed a horizontal U-shaped casing II within which are housed the ropes I?! for raising and lowering the slats as a whole, and suitable pu-lleys 3 to guide said ropes. These ropes and pulleys are of the sort usually now employed in Venetian blinds.

At the sides of the window frame A and within the opening thereof are shown vertical channel members l4 having oppositely disposed spaced runways in the form of flanges |5. These channel members house and conceal the pull ropes l2 in their vertical lay as shown.

Considering Figure 2 which shows part of the top group B and the lowermost group G of slats, it will be noticed that the top slat ID of each group is connected at its ends to a tilt bar mechanism which includes a bored stub shaft or trunnion i6 extending outwardly from a plate member I? secured to the end of the top slat. A pulley l8 is fixed to the shaft [6 which supports pull ropes is which hang down a suitable distance so that the hand of the operator may grasp the same. The pull ropes and pulley are only provided on the upper groups of slats B, C, and D, the groups E, F, and G having other means of manipulation.

A stem 26 extends into the bore of the stub shaft I6 and at one end is connected to a bearing element or guide plate 2| having opposite grooves 22 therein engaging the runways l whereby the plate 2| may slide up and down the runways. The plate 2| has on its outer side a spacing element in the form of a circular block 24 apertured to facilitate the passage of the vertical lead of the main pull rope l2 as shown. It will be clear that pull on the cords l9 will turn the shaft IT on the stem 20 and thus adjust the top slat ID as desired. Tilting movement of the top slat of a group is transmitted to the respective lower slats of said group in a manner to be presently explained.

The lower. slats of the group are suspended from the top slat of said group and from each other by means of chains or other flexible connectors 25 which are connected to eyes 26 on the corners of the plate member H, of each top slat Ill. The top tilt bar is suspended from the casing H by means of chains 21 at each end thereof attached to a ring-like element 28 surrounding the stub shaft IT. A chain 29 eX- tends from the ring-like element 28 to a similar ring element 33 surrounding the stub shaft I6 of the next lowermost tilt bar mechanism to limit the downward movement of the lower tilt bar and its group of slats. These chains 29 are connected to the tilt bars of intermediate groups to cause them to be disposed at proper proportionate positions along the guide member l4.

Although only two groups are shown in Figure 2 and only the left portions thereof, it is to be understood that there may be several groups as shown in Figure 1 and their construction at the other end is similar to that described.

The main pull rope i2 is connected or knotted in its hole in the lowest spacing block or element 24 so that a pull on the rope [2 will raise the lower group through its tilt bar and will on its upward travel carry the other groups up with it As shown in Figure 4 instead of pull cords,

the lower groups E, F, and G are adjusted by means of pins 3| fastened to and projecting from the stub shaft [5 of the tilt bars thereof so that the operator can easily grasp the pin in hand and turn it to adjust the slats of the particular group to which the top slat thereof is related.

In Figure 5 of the drawings, I have illustrated a modified form of connection between adjacent groups of slats which eliminates the lengthy chains 29 hereinbefore described. In this form, the lowermost slat H of an upper group is connected to the top tilt slat J of a next lower group by a length of chain 40. The upper end of the chain 40 is fixed to an eye 4| disposed at the end of the slat I-I midway of its width while the lower end thereof is connected to the eye 42 of a ring 43 which encircles the stub shaft l6 of the tilt bar mechanism of the lower group of slats.

In the modified form shown in Figure 6, the tilt bar or top slat ID has the stub shaft l6 extending into a bearing element or sleeve 32 having a transverse bore 38 through which the main pull cord I2 passes. This sleeve has another transverse bore 39 through which passes a wire 33 which extends vertically between the lower and upper bracket arms 34 and 35 secured to the under casing 36 which takes the place of the channel guide member l4 above described. The sleeve 32 has notches 31 to limit the movement of the pin 3| in either direction as shown.

It is clear that a pull on the main rope |2 will raise the several groups since the tilt bar of the lower group G will carry them up with it. Releasing the ropes will cause the several groups to drop or slide down the guide members to their proper proportionate positions limited by the length of the respective portions of the chains 29. The upper groups of slats B, C, and D may be tilted by means of the ropes l9 and the lower groups of slats E, F, and G by means of pins 3|. The tilt bars of each group are held to predetermined positions and paths in the runways H5 or on the wire 33 as the case may be. The several groups may be independentl adjusted as shown in Figure 1 so that the admission of light and air will be capable of careful and desired regulation.

While the invention has been described in detail and with respect to forms thereof preferred, it is not to be limited to such details and forms since many changes and modifications may be made in the invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention in its broadest aspects. Hence it is desired to cover any and all forms and modifications of the invention which may come Within the language or scope of any one or more of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patcut is:

' blind slidably engaged by said bearing elements,

flexible elements connected to said bearing elements for raising and lowering said bearing elements, flexible means suspending the other slats of each group from the top slat, and mean by which said trunnions can be rotated, supporting elements mounted on said bearing elements and flexible means attach-ed to the said supporting elements to suspend said groups.

2. The blind according to claim 1 wherein the bearing elements have the form of guide blocks with grooves along their opposite edges, and the guiding means having the form of a channel member at each side of the blind, with edges engaging said grooves, and blocks in said channel members ai'iixed to said guide blocks and attached to said flexible elements.

3. The blind according to claim 1 in which the bearing elements each have the form of a sleeve, and the guide members have the form of a wire at each side of the blind and are slidably engaged by said sleeves, and said flexible elements are secured to said sleeves.

4. The blind according to claim 1 wherein the means by which said trunnions can be rotated comprises pins projecting therefrom to serve as handles.

5. The blind according to claim 1 wherein the top slats of the upper groups carry pulleys, and flexible means connecting the pulleys to turn the slats of the upper groups, and the top slats of the lower groups have pins on the trunnions thereof to serve as handles.

HENRY FRANK.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

Number 6 UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Seaman Sept. 21, 1875 Bryan Sept. 28, 1875 Judge May 17, 1898 Krueger May 27, 1913 Lancaster May 21, 1918 Shomaker Apr. 29, 1919 Jones Jan. 18, 1921 McMulty Dec. 30, 1930 Wade June 15, 1937 Grassby Mar. 8, 1938 

